Hi all,

I'm mostly a lurker on here, but I thought I'd share with you all.

I've owned a few Zs, my last being this 1975 with L28ET and MS2 that I sold in July of last year.

Miss that car, but couldn't stand to let it sit out in rainy weather and rust after I moved down here in Corpus Christi.

This past December, I found out that I was moving to Japan this coming November, so my NSX aspirations were put on hold after I had found the most perfect 1992 Comptech supercharged black on ivory NSX up in New Hampshire (telling that guy I couldn't buy his car almost literally hurt) . My last NSX for kicks:

Miss that car dearly as well, more than the Z.

I've been in a sportscar void for about a year now after getting sensible and buying a decent 2002 Accord to DD back and forth to base. Thought about getting an S2000 to have fun before I left for Japan. Then people started putting this crazy idea in my head about shipping an old car to Japan, to drive and possibly sell, because the Japanese go nuts for anything they can't have, just like us (a la Skyline).

So I've been casually looking through old Datsun Z and Porsche 911 classifieds. Came close on one 911 down in Georgia, but the owner couldn't get me the info I needed (apparently older Porsches before the 1980's VINs did not have a month of manufacture stamped on the body...very important for Japan). Ended up stumbling across an ad in Ohio for a 240Z advertised as "one owner". I inquired.

What I found was probably the most perfect, original 240Z in the United States. This lady bought the car brand new in 1970 having just come off the boat. After some time, she drove the car less and less and let a good family friend take care of the car for her, the person I originally contacted. It has 59K original miles, and the rust-problem was widespread enough by this time (July 1970) that the dealer took the car to a local shop to completely rust proof the bottom as brand new, and it looks like it.

This car is so perfect, I'm starting to have trouble thinking about possibly taking it to Japan, but I know that it would probably survive better there than here. It may just need to go to a museum.

I present to you 1970 Datsun 240Z Series 1 #7356, white on blue interior.

Floorpan.

The only drawbacks I see is that the car shows some evidence of sitting. The bottom has some surface rust on the suspension components as well as some dry rotted bushings. It was just not driven all that often (maybe once a month). Doing all the fluids and replacing the bushings with urethane.

Then I'm getting in contact with a government vehicle processing center to prepare for the move to Japan. I'm going to need the amber turn signals lenses for the rear and the speedo changed to KPH, but it's gonna be well worth it.

Alot of people think shipping an old car to Japan is a PITA. It'll cost me about $1K to register it there, but I think just being able to say you drove an old Z, left hand drive 240Z at that, in Japan is priceless. It really is.

More updates to come. Thanks for reading my diatribe.

Edited April 26, 201212 yr by usafdarkhorse

The radiator support bracket on 721 was painted black.

Ya know, I don't really know. There's evidence of repaint, at least in the engine bay, as one member here pointed out but I was hoping to meet up with #797 here in Knoxville to compare them side by side to see what was different because I know his has been restored.

If it has, it must have been awhile ago because all the stickers/plates look pretty worn

Can any members here confirm that?

This is mine, its a 10/70 build.

well that is a great picture, since I will be painting mine when I pull the engine soon. now I know exactly what to paint!

Some good pictures of what the original paint on the front of the rad support should look like in this thread: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/thread45010.html. One picture shows the entire front of the rad support repainted black, but all the originals I have seen have the upper portion still body color with a straight line painted under the fresh air intake holes and the brushed on black paint below that.

-Mike

And that's why this forum is awesome. Someone's bound to know the answer...although I can't seem to get to your link there^^^

Yeah, it looks like the link above didn't work and it won't let me go bad and edit it. Hopefully this one works http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/thread45010.html

-Mike

Wow, 3 years and no update. Thanks for the info Mike B.

 

So, a ton of updates all at once. I went to go pick the car up in Ohio back in May of 2012 shortly after posting those first pics. Most of the links died in the previous posts, so here they are again.








Ownership!


Got a UHaul trailer and towed it back to Wright Pat AFB for the night.



The next day, while we were there, we decided to go to the National Museum of the US Air Force, my parents' first time visiting, my second time. Spent 4 hours there and saw probably 60% of what was there.

Then we saddled up and started the drive back to TN. Overkill?


Back at home.

 

Tooled around in it for a bit before a gunked up gas tank sent rust up through the mechanical pump to the carbs on a local drive, so that took a bit to sort out.

Before:

After:


That November, I left for Japan and I've been coming back about twice a year for a week at a time every year.

While being gone, my brother Jonathan had been taking it to a meet or two.


I went back to the US for training for about 5 weeks starting later April and was close enough to drive home every weekend and mess with both 240Zs for a bit.

Hung the Twice Pipes up a little better




Got the two of them together

The last weekend I was in the US in May 2015, I got the GoPro out and did a quick drive through some back roads near my home in Tennessee. Turned out pretty well. Watch in HD!

This is pretty much my only outlet to enjoy the car since I'm 8,000 miles away from it, so I appreciate when my brother takes it out on drives, shoots a few cell pics, and sends them my way. Here's a few he took yesterday (7 Jul 2015) while near the Sunsphere at World's Fair Park in Knoxville.




 

I do miss driving it, but I don't feel too terribly bad since I finally ended the 6 year no-NSX drought, so I've got that to tool around with in Japan until I come back for good.

 

Edited July 16, 20159 yr by usafdarkhorse

I've met these guys and seen this Z, and I must say it is a beauty.  

Thank you for the detailed update USAFDarkHorse and thank you for your service.  I love your Z!  Makes me want to get out drive mine through some back roads when it cools down a little here in Texas.  Your NSX is beautiful.  The black with the dark silver wheels just looks perfect. A fitting car to cruise around in Japan.

I'm guessing you have those D hubcaps put up for safe keeping and running the slots.  Beautiful cars you have, I've always wanted an NSX, especially after seeing Pulp Fiction.  Harvey Keitel drove one as "the cleaner".  

 

The Wolf was what they called him, thanks google. 

 

Overkill is always better than not enough for me, I hate running out of beer. 

 

And I also would like to say Thank You for your service.  Being away from the South and family has got to be tough.